are run by executives from almost every major industry from food to media and moshav kingly national defense the second look at just some of the few council on foreign relations their mission statement is in part sponsor an independent task forces that produce reports with both findings and policy prescriptions on the most important foreign policy topics . the question i ask is what sort of policy prescriptions can we expect from a board of directors that includes madeleine albright colin powell both of whom served as u.s. secretary of state tom brokaw for reid's a career both too well known establishment journalists so these folks aren't even in government anymore they sit on the board of one of the most influential think tanks in the world now if you doubt the c.f.r. as influence just take a listen of a clip of hillary clinton's first visit as secretary of state to the c.f.r. headquarters right here in washington d.c. . you get a lot of things from the council so this will mean i won't have this far to go to be told what we should be doing and how we should think about the future. what we